On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 19:19:13 +0100, Alan Gould
wrote:

Mark writes

I'm digging a previously-shingled area of my garden for growing
vegetables and herbs. The ground doesn't look too bad; I'm not sure how
to describe the soil type but it doesn't appear to have significant
quanties of sand or clay.

Presumably I need to dig in some organic matter now. I have a large bag
of B&Q Organic compost; would that do? Alternatively, the local tip
sells bag of "soil conditioner" at a reasonable (I think) cost. How much
should I use, say per square metre?

Either of those products would be suitable for that purpose, but if the
soil has been rested from production for some time, it probably will
have sufficient nutrients in it for the first crop at least.

Compost provides little extra nutrition for plants with N-P-K values
usually 1-1-1 or less. Its primary value is for 'fluffing up' the soil
and making existing nutrients more readily available to plants.